With boy bands fading, preteen music fans have set their sights on more hard-core sounds. The current heartthrobs of the junior high set include the four barely twentysomething guys of Good Charlotte.

The Annapolis, Md.-based band plays garage rock that is at once fierce and melodic. It is joined on its 'Civic Tour' by the pop-punk band New Found Glory.

What they say

'If you like punk with a wholesome, even syrupy, taste, then the place to be was the sold-out Worcester Centrum Centre on Thursday. That's where upbeat headliners Good Charlotte and New Found Glory offered a warm-and-fuzzy take on punk that was light years removed from the Sex Pistols or the Clash.

'This so-called 'Civic Tour' (named because Honda is a sponsor) was really more like a therapy session than any kind of rip at the establishment. It was quite likable, though, as long as you threw out any preconceived notions.

'Good Charlotte could flat-out play, and it bonded with the young crowd (mostly teenage girls) with positive messages that belied the title of its latest CD, 'The Young and the Hopeless.' '

Ñ The Boston Globe

Blue Man Group

When: 8 p.m. June 2

Where: Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St.

Cost: $34.50, Ticketmaster (503-224-4400), subject to service charges

The baldheaded blue men of the aptly titled Blue Man Group have mesmerized audiences with their multisensory performances that include percussive music, theater and sly humor.

Their new 'Complex Tour' is a bit different: less theater, more rock 'n' roll. Blue Man Group has enlisted concert producer Marc Brickman, who has worked with Nine Inch Nails and Pink Floyd, to create a cutting-edge concert experience to support the group's recently released album, 'The Complex.'